Episode 16: Casting the net: Zero reasons to delay climate action - with Austral Fisheries

Driving Net Profit with Zero Emissions

“We don't have to worry about the next quarterly cycle, like public companies do. We can take judgments that transcend that cycle, understanding that seasons and natural systems produce variable results. We've made a judgment to leave a whole bunch of fish uncaught, with a negative impact on profitability, and we've made that call based on what we've felt is in the long term interest of the fishery. It's a privilege that we can play the long game and deliver long term shareholder value.”
In this podcast episode, we speak with David Carter, CEO of Austral Fisheries, one of Australia’s largest integrated commercial fishing companies. Austral shows unparalleled global leadership in sustainable fishing, is a carbon neutral organisation, and sells carbon neutral products.

Not only do we talk about Austral’s sustainable business practices, their carbon footprint and emissions reduction activities, but we also dive deeper into what motivated David to act on climate change, personally and in his role as CEO of the company.

In this episode, find out:

• How Simon Sinek and a trip to the Antarctic inspired David to take action on climate change
• How people like Mike Cannon Brooks gave David permission for a bigger narrative and talking about climate change in his personal and business life
• How Austral Fisheries see themselves as a steward of the ocean and how they play the long game
• Why David feels that Austral Fisheries can’t be a climate action leader until they have followers
• Why Austral Fisheries had its new hybrid electric ship built in Norway
• Whether green methanol could be the future for net zero shipping

Other relevant links

1. David Carter’s talk at TEDxPerth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8imszj5gES4
2. Marine Stewardship Council: https://www.msc.org/
3. Austral Fisheries’ Climate Active Public Disclosure Statement: Organisation & Product certification CY2021
4. Austral Fisheries sustainability: https://www.australfisheries.com.au/sustainability
5. Carbon Neutral Pty Ltd’s Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor project - https://carbonneutral.com.au/about-us/our-projects/
6. Book: Infinite Game by Simon Sinek: https://simonsinek.com/books/the-infinite-game/
7. Book: Start with Why by Simon Sinek: https://simonsinek.com/books/start-with-why/
8. Confront the Brutal Facts by Jim Collins: https://www.jimcollins.com/concepts/confront-the-brutal-facts.html

Connect with us
David Carter - https://au.linkedin.com/in/david-carter-174625a
Austral Fisheries - https://au.linkedin.com/company/austral-fisheries-pty-ltd
Barbara Albert - https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbaraalbert100/
Driving Net Profit with Zero Emissions - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS49PGSgCeDNda7s1L0cQtQ?view_as=subscriber
100% Renewables - https://au.linkedin.com/company/100percentrenewables